Chamber Theater

CHAMBER
THEATE
SECOND
R
QUARTER
Learning
Objectives
01
I can proficiently play an active part in a Chamber Theatre presentation
through employing effective verbal and nonverbal strategies based on the
following criteria: Focus, Voice, Delivery, Facial Expressions, Style and Body
Movements or Gestures.
02
I can employ varied verbal and nonverbal strategies to create impact on
the audience while delivering lines in a Readers Theatre or in a Chamber
Theatre
What is
storytelling?
•in the conventional way,
refers to one person telling
a story (either by reading or
telling it from memory) to
an audience
•tells the story with
expression using his/her
voice, face, and body to
help the audience
Readers
Theater
• a group technique of telling a
story
• readers read from a “script” and
reading parts are divided among
readers
• no memorization, costumes,
blocking or special lightning is
needed
• focus: reading the text with
expressive voices and gestures
• comprehending the text
Reader-actors
reader-
narrator
Reader-Actors
• the character in the story that
reads their assigned lines to an
audience
Reader-Narrator
• an assigned person that read
the lines or passages which
explain an action or describe a
scene or character
Number of
readers
the number of
readers is often
determined by the
number of character
in the chosen story
Characteristics of an
Interesting Readers Theater
Presentation
characteristics of an interesting
readers theater presentation
Interaction Props Unison
The readers do not interact There is no need for props on When more than one reader
in the same way the actors stage, for no visual action is read the lines of a character
do in a conventional play. done. The “theater” is in the or narrator, they must
They do not look at the minds of the audience. speak as one. They must
persons with whom they are pronounce words in the
speaking. Instead, these same way and follow the
readers direct their lines to same phrasing and
the audience. intonation patterns. No
voice should dominate or
stick out.
Chamber
Theater
What is
Chamber
Theater?
• a method of adapting literary
works to the stage using a
maximal amount of the
work‘s original text and
often minimal and
suggestive settings.
• narration is included in the
performed text and the
Proponent
• Professor Robert S. Breen
(1909-1991) introduced
Chamber Theater to his
Oral Interpretation Classes
at Northwestern
University in 1947.
The uniqueness of chamber theater
lies in the dual role of each member
in the cast: actor/actress as well as
narrator
Each participant is thus an
actor/actress-narrator. An
actor/actress interacts with other
characters yet retains the role of
narrator who summarizes, describes,
and explains to an audience.
Characteristi
cs
Chamber Theater Actors memorized Chamber Theater is
their lines.
has more realistic still not a complete
costuming and stage acting and
actual movement typically has
around the stage. pantomimed props
rather than the real
ones.
Text Selection for
Chamber Theater
• the choice for a chamber
theater material is often a
prose narrative: a fable, a
legend, modern short story,
narrative poem or even part
of a novel
Reading a Script
acts and ACT I
scenes
Acts mark major divisions within the
narrative, while scenes indicate
SCENE I. A desert place.
changes in location, time, or focus Thunder and lightning.

within each act. Enter three Witches.
stage First Witch

When shall we three meet
again
directions
Instructions that provide guidance for
actors, directors and stage crew
In thunder, lightning, or in
rain?
regarding movements, gestures,
entrances, exits, and other actions. They Second Witch
are typically italicised. When the hurlyburly's done,
When the battle's lost and
Stage directions within dialogue (usually won.
in brackets) guide the actor on how to
Third Witch
deliver their lines. These are called That will be ere the set of sun.
ACT I
details about
SCENE I. A desert place.
setting
Descriptions of setting might
include time, place and any
Thunder and lightning.
Enter three Witches. significant details about the
environment. These provide context
First Witch for the action and help the reader
visualise the scene.
again
rain?
exits and
Second Witch
When the hurlyburly's done, entrances
Characters enter and exit the stage
at specific points in the play,
won. indicated by stage directions.
Third Witch
That will be ere the set of sun.
ACT I
character SCENE I. A desert place.
names
Characters are identified by their
names or titles, which are typically
Thunder and lightning.
Enter three Witches.
capitalised and bolded. These are
also known as ‘cues’. First Witch
again
dialogu rain?
Second Witch
e
Spoken lines exchanged between
characters. Dialogue may also
When the hurlyburly's done,
include indications of tone, won.
emotion, or pauses.
Third Witch
That will be ere the set of sun.
analysing a
Considering Key Elements
playscript
live audience
Novels are also read silently by individuals,
allowing readers to engage at their own pace
and visualise the scenes in their minds.
Playscripts, however, are written with the

intention of being performed by actors for an
audience, either in a theatre or other
performance space.
As such, they are designed to be interpreted

visually and aurally, with the audience
experiencing the story through the interactions
of characters, delivery of dialogue and the
appearance of the stage set up.
themes & ideas
Themes are underlying ideas or for example
messages that are explored
throughout the play. They reflect For example, William Shakespeare’s
universal human experiences, societal play Macbeth explores the theme of
issues or philosophical questions. ambition.
Common themes in drama include
love, betrayal, identity, power, and It presents the ideas that:
redemption. • ambition is a powerful driving force
that compels individuals to pursue
Ideas are stated as a sentence and their desires often at any cost, or
they are usually comments made or • that unchecked ambition can have a
positions taken on the themes. Ask corrupting influence on individuals,
yourself: what is the play saying about leading them to commit immoral or
this theme? unethical actions.
symbols & motifs
Symbols are objects, images, or for example
actions that represent deeper
meanings or concepts within a play. The dagger that appears before Macbeth in
They may be explicitly introduced by Act symbolises the temptation and
the playwright or emerge organically ambition that drive Macbeth to commit
throughout the play. regicide (killing King Duncan).
Motifs are recurring elements, One prominent motif is the recurring

images, themes or ideas that references to blood. It serves multiple
contributes to the overall meaning or symbolic purposes in different parts of the
structure of a play. play, representing a range of themes such
They may be used to create patterns, as guilt, violence and the consequences of
contrasts, or parallels within the Macbeth's actions.
narrative.
monologue soliloquy dramatic irony
A speech delivered by a single A type of monologue in which a When the audience possesses
character, typically addressing character is alone on stage and information that one or more
other characters, the audience, speaks their thoughts aloud, characters do not, creating
or themselves. revealing their innermost suspense and anticipation.
thoughts or feelings.
other dramatic devices

There are a range of other techniques and elements you might come across that are
specific to drama and theatre. We should consider how these are used to explore themes
and position audience response.
foreshadowing aside breaking the 4th

A literary technique in which the When a character speaks walladdresses the
When a character
author hints at future events or directly to the audience or to audience directly,
outcomes in the narrative themselves, but it’s unheard by acknowledging their presence
through subtle clues, symbols, other characters on stage, and involving them in the
or events. (although they are physically performance.
present).
The
END
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Chamber Theater

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CHAMBER

changes in location, time, or focus Thunder and lightning.

stage First Witch

Playscripts, however, are written with the

As such, they are designed to be interpreted

Motifs are recurring elements, One prominent motif is the recurring

other dramatic devices

foreshadowing aside breaking the 4th

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